Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Change
Butler Cheng has been quite depressed lately. Ever since his wife returned to the north, he has gradually been neglected.
The lady has no shortage of capable people of all types under her command, but in this northern compound, she clearly trusts and relies more on Steward Xing and his group.
Seeing that some servants and assistants were gradually not taking him seriously, Butler Cheng felt that this would not do, and he had to find other ways to win back the lady's attention.
Therefore, after receiving a secret message, Butler Cheng decided to risk going. He avoided the crowd and quietly arrived at a secluded and quiet courtyard. But as soon as he entered the courtyard, two people suddenly appeared and closed the gate. Butler Cheng turned around and saw the second young master grinning as he led a group of people out.
Butler Cheng was terrified. He knew he had been tricked and hurriedly ran towards the gate, but before he could even touch it, several hands suddenly appeared and pulled him back.
Butler Cheng cried out as he was pushed to the ground. When he looked up, he saw the second young master looking down at him with a wicked smile.
"Cheng Shiyao, you bastard, how dare you play me?"
Butler Cheng's eyes darted around, thinking that the second young master was referring to finding a way to get rid of Yun Yao, so he pretended to be confused and said, "Second young master, you're wronged! How could I dare? What exactly are you talking about?"
The second young master's eyes darkened, and he sneered as he gestured to his attendants: "It seems that Steward Cheng is getting old and his memory is failing. You all come and give Steward Cheng a wake-up call."
"Yes!" A group of people surrounded him. Seeing that he was about to be beaten, Butler Cheng was immediately terrified and hurriedly begged for mercy, "Second Young Master! Second Young Master! What are you trying to do? Just tell me, I'll do anything! Please don't scare me like this!"
The second young master scoffed disdainfully, and deliberately asked, "How did you do with the task we assigned you?"
Butler Cheng immediately rattled off his prepared explanation: "Second Young Master, as you've seen, Madam doesn't see me much anymore. Butler Xing is in the most power now, and Madam has entrusted Yun Yao to him. As you all know, Butler Xing is incredibly old-fashioned, unlike me, who is wholeheartedly dedicated to helping Madam and the young masters. To get close to Yun Yao, we need to find a way to get rid of Butler Xing first. Second Young Master, could you please put in a good word for me with Madam?"
Seeing Butler Cheng's obsequious expression as he schemed his own agenda, the second young master's anger surged. He kicked Butler Cheng to the ground and roared, "You old bastard, you haven't done anything, yet you want to use me? Where do you get the guts to play me?"
The second young master glared at him, and a group of people, following his signal, immediately dragged Butler Cheng to the back of the courtyard. Ignoring Butler Cheng's struggles, they gagged him and then delivered a barrage of punches and kicks to his body.
The second young master coldly fiddled with the expensive watch on his wrist. When the time was almost up, he slightly raised his hand to stop his subordinate.
He slowly walked towards the trembling Butler Cheng, put on the thin gloves handed to him by his subordinate, then squatted down, grabbed Butler Cheng's hair, and pulled his head close to his. "Cheng Shiyao, I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me everything you know about that Yun Yao. If I find out you've lied to me or concealed anything..." The second young master patted his face threateningly and whispered, "You'll be dead, understand?"
...
When the second young master walked out of the courtyard, his face was very unpleasant. He knew everything about Yun Yao, everything he had gotten out of Steward Cheng, and the information he had obtained after sending people to thoroughly investigate in Nanhang. He realized that he had been tricked by the Zheng family.
What angered and resented him most was that his elder brother clearly knew much more than he did. His brother probably sent people to conduct a full investigation after that day, and only after understanding the situation thoroughly did he feel comfortable letting Yun Yao stay there.
Realizing that he was still far behind his elder brother, the second young master was quite discouraged.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. What kind of person is Madam? Anyone who can stay by her side has had their entire family history investigated for three generations. Anyone with serious hidden dangers simply can't get close to Madam.
To people like them, Yun Yao's father's matter was nothing more than a trivial matter, and the wealthy woman he looked down on was only after making more money by starting an entertainment company; it wasn't as complicated as he thought.
The biggest misconception was about Yun Yao herself. He truly hadn't expected that Yun Yao was so different from the typical sycophantic mistresses; she actually dared to offend the Madam just to avoid coming to the North. If this was all an act, the Second Young Master could only admire her skill and audacity.
After all, disobeying the madam is something even the eldest young master wouldn't dare to do.
As dusk settled over the courtyard, the second young master couldn't help but light a cigarette and take a deep drag. He had to admit that he needed to adjust his attitude towards Yun Yao.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he inexplicably thought of Yun Yao's stunningly beautiful yet unexpectedly pure and ethereal face, and of their first meeting, when he faced her difficult questions with composure and eloquence.
Suddenly, the second young master felt that admitting defeat wasn't so hard to accept after all. He even thought with some interest that this Yun Yao was actually quite interesting...
...
The banquet to be held at Muxiyuan was only for close relatives and friends. It was also a chance for several upper-class families to connect and exchange information under the guise of a holiday banquet. The most important purpose was to celebrate the lady's recovery and move into the new garden.
The lady is the backbone of the family, and her health is of paramount importance. The eldest son, the next heir of the family, also needs her support and assistance. Maintaining and perpetuating this legacy is the core task of all prominent families.
Therefore, everything will make way for it; this is the consensus of all members of the tribe.
Although the eldest young master was busy with military affairs, he took this banquet very seriously.
Under his and the Third Miss's management, the banquet preparations proceeded smoothly. Yun Yao was in charge of the music and dance performances, which were mainly coordinated with the Third Miss, Ming Xiao.
As the Third Miss watched Yun Yao rack her brains to choreograph the dance, and tirelessly complete the scene setup, music composition, and other tasks, she couldn't help but have a much different opinion of Yun Yao.
Seeing how hard-working and happy Yun Yao was, she even felt that even if Yun Yao didn't have such stunning beauty and talent, he would still live a good life and achieve his own success.
Whether this otherworldly beauty was a blessing or a curse for Yun Yao, the Third Miss sighed. Lost in thought, she thought the latter was more likely than the former; beautiful women have always had tragic fates.
A few days before the banquet, Yun Yao saw a young, elegant, and beautiful woman arrive at Muxi Garden with a little girl of about two years old. They greeted the lady warmly, and afterwards, this unfamiliar young woman took over the banquet arrangements.
Later, Yun Yao learned that the young woman was the eldest young master's wife, the eldest mistress of Muxi Garden, whom everyone respectfully addressed as "Young Madam." The little girl beside her was also her and the eldest young master's daughter. They didn't usually live in Muxi Garden, but instead lived with the eldest young master in the outer courtyard.
On the contrary, the eldest son, due to his wife's influence, often had to stay overnight at Muxiyuan or travel back and forth between the two places.
The third young lady, Mingxiao, told Yunyao that the eldest young master had gotten married three years ago. However, his sister-in-law didn't come to Muxiyuan often because she had to take care of the children.
Yun Yuanyuan saw the two-year-old girl from afar; she was quite lively and adorable, and couldn't help but feel a little envious.
He's getting older, and back when his grandparents were still alive, seeing how loving and happy they were, he would secretly imagine his own marriage. He doesn't share the modern young person's idea of late marriage and childbearing; his grandparents set a good example for him, and he has high expectations for love and marriage that will come naturally.
However, Yun Yao sighed inwardly, wondering if he still had the chance to attain such happiness.
The naive Yun Yao was unaware that most marriages in the world were not like those of his maternal grandparents.
In large families, heirs usually get married in their twenties. The eldest son's wife is the only daughter of a powerful general. This marriage can be considered a good match and is more beneficial to the eldest son's career.
In fact, if the madam hadn't publicly retired early on, the eldest son probably wouldn't have chosen the military path, because the unspoken rules of the upper echelons wouldn't allow a large family to have two major powers combined; it would inevitably be split up.
Now that the lady has gone into seclusion and no genius of her caliber has emerged in the clan, the future of this family will likely revolve around the eldest son.
...
In the Lanyue Hall of the West Garden, Yunyao's classical dance performance was being rehearsed for the last time.
To ensure the best effect, Miss Mingxiao had cordoned off the surrounding area early on, preventing other irrelevant people from entering the garden and disturbing the peace.
On this particular day, someone had to disturb her work.
The second young master, Xu Zhi, strolled over with the fourth young master. He came to the third young lady's side and casually looked towards the west garden.
"Second Brother, what are you doing here?" Third Miss Ming Xiao asked expressionlessly.
Xu Zhi smirked, "What, can't we look? This is such a big fuss, they won't even let people stroll through the West Garden." He then looked at the Fourth Young Master, "Little Fourth, don't you think it's been so long since the two of us brothers have been able to step into the gates of the West Garden?"
The fourth young master glared at his second brother, annoyed. "Second brother, don't keep bringing me up. I'm not the kind of person who makes trouble unreasonably. I've listened to what Third Sister said."
Xu Zhi was amused by his words, "Hey, you little sycophant, it's one thing to fawn over the madam, but you've even started fawning over the third brother."
As they were laughing and joking, the gate to the West Garden suddenly opened from the inside. Yun Yao, who had just changed out of her rehearsal clothes, and several assistants appeared inside.
The sun was shining brightly, its rays illuminating Yun Yao's stunningly beautiful face and the faint smile on his lips, making him breathtakingly beautiful.
The scenery of the West Garden behind them, reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan, seemed to burst forth as the garden gate opened, perfectly complementing Yun Yao's gentle and refined temperament unique to southerners and her ethereal figure, making it resemble a dazzling Jiangnan painting.
Xu Zhi stared in disbelief for a moment, then, after regaining his senses, couldn't help but sigh, "The beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, paired with the beautiful women of Jiangnan, is truly a perfect match..."
Just then, they heard footsteps behind them. Xu Zhi turned around and saw the eldest young master quietly walking up behind them, holding his two-year-old daughter in one arm.
Seeing that his elder brother was also looking at Yun Yao ahead, Xu Zhi raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Brother, you're here too. Why did you bring your little niece? Where's sister-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, the eldest young master glanced down at Xu Zhi and said calmly, "She had to go back first. The child will stay with me for now."
Looking at his older brother's height of over 1.9 meters and his strong physique, Xu Zhi silently took a step back. He felt that he was not short either, but people in the north are generally tall, and his height of over 1.8 meters was only average. Especially when facing his tall and strong older brother who was a military officer, he always felt somewhat suppressed by his height.
When Yun Yao and the others came over, Xu Zhi suddenly realized with some disbelief that Yun Yao, such a beautiful and refined woman from Jiangnan, was not much shorter than him. He estimated that Yun Yao was about 1.8 meters tall, but everyone was usually only attracted by Yun Yao's beauty and hadn't noticed it.
At this moment, Yun Yao approached the group and greeted them. He couldn't help but glance at the little girl in the young master's arms, his eyes filled with affection for her adorable appearance.
Suddenly, the young master asked Yun Yao, "Do you want to hug her?"
"Is it possible?" Yun Yao was pleasantly surprised. He looked up at the young master with some anticipation.
Seeing the young master nod, Yun Yao was very happy. He carefully took the little girl from the young master's hands, looked at her gently, and teased her softly.
The eldest young master watched this scene silently, while the third young lady beside him exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect Yun Yao to be so good at holding a child."
Xu Zhi glanced at his elder brother, then at Yun Yao holding the child, and wondered to himself, when did his elder brother become so approachable? Usually, when others tried to get close to his little niece, they would be deterred by his elder brother's stern gaze.
Aside from family members, this was the first time Xu Zhi had ever seen his elder brother make such an exception.
He gradually thought about it more deeply and concluded that this was his elder brother starting to show friendliness towards Yun Yao in order to curry favor with the madam.
For some reason, Xu Zhi felt that something was amiss as he watched this scene...
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